House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) drew a clear line in the sand Wednesday on what a deal to stop a government shutdown must look like, telling reporters he will not accept any type of unwritten agreement.
Why it matters: It’s the latest stumbling block in the tense and largely fruitless cross-party posturing over the need to extend federal funding past September.
- Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had initially secured a meeting with President Trump earlier this week, but it was cancelled at the urging of Republican congressional leaders.
- Funding is set to run out at midnight on Sept. 30, at which point most federal agencies will shut down without a spending agreement from Congress.
I’m not certain what a written agreement would add.
The democratic leadership are desperately hanging onto the written word, as their biggest donors are Big Pen.
They are invested heavily in legal sized papers and envelope glue companies and all the strongly worded letters are just a brilliant advertisement for pen nibs and ink pots.
I don’t know what was wrong with a turkey feather and some damp charcoal.